The move comes in the wake of Peter Lawson exiting his post as executive vp production and acquisitions at Open Road next month.

Open Road Films has named Sophie Cassidy senior vp production and acquisitions.

The move comes in the wake of The Hollywood Reporter reporting exclusively that Peter Lawson is exiting his post as executive vp production and acquisitions at Open Road next month. Though their titles are different, Cassidy will effectively be replacing Lawson.

Also this week, Open Road announced that it has struck a deal with Crystal City Entertainment/Boundary Stone Films to finance development of 2-4 films per year, thus boosting its in-house production.

Cassidy's promotion was announced by Open Road CEO Tom Ortenberg.

Cassidy, who previously held the title of vp production and acquisitions, joined Open Road in 2014. She has been part of the team acquiring and producing such projects as John Hillcoat’s heist thriller Triple 9, Open Road’s first production; Sleepless Night, starring Jamie Foxx and Michelle Monaghan; Garry Marshall’s Mother's Day; Oliver Stone’s Snowden; the comedy 50 Shades of Black, starring Marlon Wayans and Kali Hawk; as well as last year's Sundance acquisition Dope; the Jake Gyllenhaal-starrer Nightcrawler; and the upcoming Miles Teller boxing drama Bleed for This.

Before joining Open Road, Cassidy spent five years at Summit Entertainment, where she oversaw development and production of such movies as The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Impossible, 50/50 and Source Code as well as the acquisitions of The Hurt Locker, The Ghost Writer and Fair Game. She started her career at CAA in the motion picture literary department.

“Sophie has been an invaluable member of our team and has done an exceptional job managing the development and production of our projects while cultivating filmmaker relationships,” Ortenberg said. “We are pleased to recognize her with this promotion and to have her in this new leadership role at the company.”

Added Cassidy: “I am very proud of our upcoming slate and excited for the new challenges ahead,” said Cassidy. “Tom and the entire Open Road team are the best at what they do, and I am honored to step into this new role.”